Recently, a fellow writer on one of the writers' networks lists I'm on posted a question about the delineation between different genres. I wrote up the guide below off the top of my head. Since apparently some other writers occasionally peruse my blog, I thought I'd include it below for your edification:

Allan Rousselle's Partial List of Genre Definitions

• Boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back. That's romance.
• Boy meets girl, girl offers her honor, boy honors her offer, it's honor and offer all night. That's porn.
• Boy meets girl, boy and girl talk a lot. That's chick lit.
• Boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy (or girl) dies. That's tragedy.
• Boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy saves the world from alien invasion. That's science fiction.
• Boy meets dame, dame brings nothing but grief into boy's life. That's crime noir.
• Boy meets girl, boy goes off to war, boy dies. That's a Lifetime movie.
• Boy meets girl, boy or girl is a vampire/werewolf/ghost. That's paranormal romance.
• Boy meets girl, boy and girl speak with British accents. That's Jane Austen.
• Boy meets girl, boy loses girl, car eats boy. That's Stephen King.

I hope this helps all of my fellow aspiring writers out there. A friend on the list had a great addition; I'll ask for his permission to include it here. Do you have any additions *you* want to make? Please add them via the comments.

--Allan